Chinglish (Chinese English)

While I finish my master degree, I have taken on teaching ESL at a school here, in Shanghai. I have to say that I am very impressed with the level of English my young students already understand, and I wish that the US would enforce learning a second language within it's school system.

However, we have come across some awesome Chinglish around town... I wish we had our camera when we saw that "Cowboy Super Fungus" was advertised on a menu! I wasn't quite sure what that was, but I opted not to give that dish a try! Since then, we have seen some pretty amazing translations, such as this:

What some people in the English-speaking world would call "bacon", they have clarified as "roasted streakly pork"...although "streakly" is not even a word, I totally support the use of it here!

This is one of my favorites:

Or perhaps the best was when we first arrived at the airport in Beijing...apparently no eggplants, and no rabbits are aloud to be brought into China!

I am sure that we will come across many more, but city officials are trying to rid Shanghai of these "translations" before the 2010 World Expo. I certainly hope they do not remove all of the Chinglish because some of these really can make you laugh right out loud!

Chinese Visas, Quite the Headache

My goodness, this has NOT been an easy move. If it could go wrong, it has...and we have been through a lot. The last 2.5 months have been a roller-coaster ride of emotions and experiences. I have to admit, I have yet to fully enjoy 2 days in a row. At this point I am exhausted, and when I think the worst is over, something new comes our way.



We came to Shanghai for many reasons: to experience a new culture, to travel around Asia, and to make enough money to take care of some of our debt. We have definitely experienced the culture (some of it I wish that I never encountered), we haven't traveled anywhere(unless you count the ridiculous trip where we were denied our visas), and we have actually gone more into debt (we are pretty much at rock bottom). Lovely.


When we first arrived, we applied to jobs like crazy- our first few weeks were mixed with interviews, looking at apartments, and studying in between the madness. When I found a job that I thought I would enjoy, they tried to change everything they promised in the contract, from the pay to the benefits! I quit 2 days later...after wasted time I found a new position that seemed great, and when all of our paper work was taken care of, we hopped on a plane to Macau and applied for our work visas. Only, we were denied the visa because we did not get a medical check due to my employer telling us not to do it. A-W-E-S-O-M-E.


We have extended our tourist visa for the last time, and have been to the Exit and Entry Bureau about 10 times, as well as making the necessary reports to the police about coming in and out of the country, super fun. So now, we are getting the medical check tomorrow, and heading back to Macau on Monday. All of this in the middle of my master's program! Let's just say, the work is suffering...My mother keeps reminding me that I wouldn't be dealing with any of this if I would just come home and live in the US :)

So, here is where we are at: December 6 is a very important day. I will have completed one more semester in my program, and A'kos will have completed the first exam of the CFA. This day will be like Christmas for us! We believe all of the madness will end and things will settle down, at least we hope...right now, that's about all we can do!

Széchenyi Fürdő

One of my favorite things to do while I am in Budapest is to visit the thermal baths. This particular one is my favorite... the Széchenyi Fürdő is a great place for locals and tourists alike, unfortunately in the last few months less locals are unable to afford the enjoyment as they have raised the ticket prices dramatically.

On one of our last days in Budapest, we enjoyed a whole day of pools, saunas, and steam rooms of different aromas and temperatures that guarantee to relax and ease the soul. As you can see, it wasn't the best of days, but the clouds and rain offer an experience that almost makes it more enjoyable. I think that everyone must experience this at some time in their life. Besides Hungary's other treasures (turo rudi, langos- just to name a few!) I think that the baths are well worth the trip to enjoy :)

Some Major Life Changes

In one week I am about to explore a new part of the world in China. I'm not just traveling there, but I will be living in Shanghai for several months. Part of me is so excited, but the other part of me is starting to realize the gravity of it all, and I am feeling a bit nervous...

I have lived in several places, and not known the language, but so far I have done ok. However, this is a culture that I am not familiar with and that makes me somewhat anxious. Yesterday I went to the Chinese Embassy, and of course, everything was in Chinese- didn't have a clue! That's when it kind of hit me- this is how it's going to be for a long time!!! Yikes!

I know it will take some time, but I trust that it will all work out and be an incredible experience. I am also pretty sure that I am going to come away with some wild adventures and hilarious stories :)More to come...

Broken

2 weeks ago I broke my fibula in 3 places, which resulted in reconstructive surgery, and now bed rest for what feels like an eternity. I am feeling pretty low at the moment. I hate my bed, I hate my apartment (and roommate more than anything), and I am staring to hate myself...not a good combination. Everyday is mentally and physically exhausting, because even getting myself to the bathroom is a work-out...ugh...I am hating this!

Luckily, I have good friends to keep me company during this time :) I also have a ton of work to do for my master's program, which is not fun, but a good thing to work on during bed rest. Can you see that I am trying to make the best of this situation!?!

Yet, the warm weather is calling my name, and I would love, more than anything, to hop out of bed and get outside. I would love to go for a walk, or a run, heck, I would even skip around if I could! I don't care what it is- SOMETHING, ANYTHING out of this place!!! But, I will have to wait. A few more weeks, a few more weeks...